Comrade Trump

[Uncle Ted]

Assange is pretty slimy.

The Secret Correspondence Between Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks

The transparency organization asked the president’s son for his cooperation—in sharing its work, in contesting the results of the election, and in arranging for Julian Assange to be Australia’s ambassador to the United States.






https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/545738/


Let's all stop pretending Wikileaks is transparent. This tweet came out 15 minutes after wikileaks asked for the Trump people to push their story. https://twitter.com/YAppelbaum/statu...95080496984065

Just before the stroke of midnight on September 20, 2016, at the height of last year’s presidential election, the WikiLeaks Twitter account sent a private direct message to Donald Trump Jr., the Republican nominee’s oldest son and campaign surrogate. “A PAC run anti-Trump site putintrump.org is about to launch,” WikiLeaks wrote. “The PAC is a recycled pro-Iraq war PAC. We have guessed the password. It is ‘putintrump.’

Are all democrats dumbasses when it comes to passwords?

[cowboy]

It can mean whatever you want it to mean.

Normally, I would agree with you, but since you are the one insisting there's a Trump crowd, we have to go by your definition, not mine. So again, what exactly is your definition of the Trump crowd?

[Walter Sobchak]

Assange is pretty slimy.

That may be true, yet...

<https://www.emptywheel.net/2017/11/1...underwhelming/>

All in all more exonerating than inculpating, particularly given the expectations around that week.

The other thing that doesn’t appear in these DMs is any hint that Don Jr knew of Peter Smith’s efforts to find and send to Wikileaks hacked copies of emails from Hillary’s server.

It is definitely the case that Assange was trying to gain some value from Trump, but Don Jr, at least, didn’t comply (indeed, as Ioffe notes, with just a few exceptions Don Jr didn’t respond). But (unless Don Jr withheld DMs that Twitter would have already turned over to Mueller) this in no way backs the narrative that Democrats suggested might have happened.

[old_gregg]

That may be true, yet...

<https://www.emptywheel.net/2017/11/1...underwhelming/>

...you serious, clark?

[Uncle Ted]

Assange is pretty slimy.

The Secret Correspondence Between Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks

The transparency organization asked the president’s son for his cooperation—in sharing its work, in contesting the results of the election, and in arranging for Julian Assange to be Australia’s ambassador to the United States.






https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/545738/


Let's all stop pretending Wikileaks is transparent. This tweet came out 15 minutes after wikileaks asked for the Trump people to push their story. https://twitter.com/YAppelbaum/statu...95080496984065

I thought Assange mentioned that he chats with Don Jr now and then? e.g.,

It seems Assange's conversations with Don Jr are mostly one-way...

All of this seems like yet another one of those "nothing burgers". We want to hear about the juicy stuff... like stories about the Russian hackers and how they convinced Hillary to not campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, etc. Did they use those Russian mind control weapons?

[frank ryan]

They're real. Don Jr. releases his messages with them.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a8053371.html

[frank ryan]

I thought Assange mentioned that he chats with Don Jr now and then? e.g.,

It seems Assange's conversations with Don Jr are mostly one-way...

All of this seems like yet another one of those "nothing burgers". We want to hear about the juicy stuff... like stories about the Russian hackers and how they convinced Hillary to not campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, etc. Did they use those Russian mind control weapons?

Ted, don't obtuse. Assange claims he is credible. He instructed Trump not to concede if he lost.

[frank ryan]

...you serious, clark?

...the fuck is that blog?

[Uncle Ted]

...the fuck is that blog?

Looks pretty good... I wonder if they have a podcast.

[Walter Sobchak]

...the fuck is that blog?

Marcy Wheeler? She writes for HuffPo, Daily Kos, and The Intercept (among others). Been a fan since I read her book "Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy" years and years ago. I follow her on twitter; you can too.

[Donuthole]

Normally, I would agree with you, but since you are the one insisting there's a Trump crowd, we have to go by your definition, not mine. So again, what exactly is your definition of the Trump crowd?

Its like pornography; I know it when I see it.

[Walter Sobchak]

Looks pretty good... I wonder if they have a podcast.

This is a good follow for you. Very thorough analysis of topics from a neutral POV; what journalism should be (this despite her very obvious personal left-leaning affinities... which you may not care for). Her writing is certainly not the knee-jerk reactionary shallow shit that frank loves.

[Crockett]

They're real. Don Jr. releases his messages with them.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a8053371.html

But they are not spectacular.

[cowboy]

Its like pornography; I know it when I see it.

If I did emojis I'd give you a slow clap. I actually laughed out loud.

[frank ryan]

I know this is a "nothing burger" and Russia in an angelic country that didn't impact the election, and is country that Trump doesn't single out for softening others' criticisms of it, but here you go anyway.

Secret Finding: 60 Russian Payments "To Finance Election Campaign Of 2016”
The FBI is scrutinizing more than 60 money transfers sent by the Russian foreign ministry to its embassies across the globe, most of them bearing a note that said the money was to be used “to finance election campaign of 2016.”

On Aug. 3 of last year, just as the US presidential election was entering its final, heated phase, the Russian foreign ministry sent nearly $30,000 to its embassy in Washington. The wire transfer, which came from a Kremlin-backed Russian bank, landed in one of the embassy’s Citibank accounts and contained a remarkable memo line: “to finance election campaign of 2016.”

That wire transfer is one of more than 60 now being scrutinized by the FBI and other federal agencies investigating Russian involvement in the US election. The transactions, which moved through Citibank accounts and totaled more than $380,000, each came from the Russian foreign ministry and most contained a memo line referencing the financing of the 2016 election.

The money wound up at Russian embassies in almost 60 countries from Afghanistan to Nigeria between Aug. 3 and Sept. 20, 2016. It is not clear how the funds were used. At least one transaction that came into the US originated with VTB Bank, a financial institution that is majority-owned by the Kremlin.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopol...5D0#.rj4DzMy09

[falafel]

I know this is a "nothing burger" and Russia in an angelic country that didn't impact the election, and is country that Trump doesn't single out for softening others' criticisms of it, but here you go anyway.

Secret Finding: 60 Russian Payments "To Finance Election Campaign Of 2016”
The FBI is scrutinizing more than 60 money transfers sent by the Russian foreign ministry to its embassies across the globe, most of them bearing a note that said the money was to be used “to finance election campaign of 2016.”



https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopol...5D0#.rj4DzMy09

Hillary Clinton and her PACs raised $2.1B and couldn't win the election. How much could $380k, divided into $30k payments, really to do influence the vote?

[frank ryan]

Hillary Clinton and her PACs raised $2.1B and couldn't win the election. How much could $380k, divided into $30k payments, really to do influence the vote?

Sure, they used different tactics. They did well with their bot armies and messaging, and with their surrogate Wikileaks.

[creekster]

Sure, they used different tactics. They did well with their bot armies and messaging, and with their surrogate Wikileaks.

You almost have to admire those plucky but underfunded Russians coming out on top like that. It's another immigrant success story in America!

[falafel]

You almost have to admire those plucky but underfunded Russians coming out on top like that. It's another immigrant success story in America!

Think how many bot armies Hillary could have bought with $2B. Another strategic failure for her.

[frank ryan]

You almost have to admire those plucky but underfunded Russians coming out on top like that. It's another immigrant success story in America!

Good to know you don’t give a shit about a hostile power injecting themselves into our election.

[frank ryan]

Think how many bot armies Hillary could have bought with $2B. Another strategic failure for her.

The goal posts keep moving. At first it was the Russians didn’t involve themselves in our elections, then it was the didn’t favor a specific side, then on to they were hasn’t coordination with anyone from the campaign, but if they did it had no impact.

[frank ryan]

Think how many bot armies Hillary could have bought with $2B. Another strategic failure for her.

They seem more competent than Hillary at campaigning which doesn’t say much.

[creekster]

Good to know you don’t give a shit about a hostile power injecting themselves into our election.

Not just injecting but WINNING for $380k! And, as that noted patriot George S, Patton pointed out: America loves a winner!

[Uncle Ted]

Think how many bot armies Hillary could have bought with $2B. Another strategic failure for her.

For a cool $2B Hillary could have totally owned Facebook, Twitter, etc. and the DNC... and maybe even the RNC. Instead she blew most of it on a bunch of ugly pantsuits.

[frank ryan]

Not just injecting but WINNING for $380k! And, as that noted patriot George S, Patton pointed out: America loves a winner!

You don’t think they were a factor? They were one of the main buyers of ads on Twitter. The Russians also had success with Brexit, and the Seperatist in Catalonia, elections in Hungary and Poland. Their efforts were rebuffed by the French and Germans in those elections.

I’m not sure why you flippantly and condescendingly dismiss this stuff.

[creekster]

You don’t think they were a factor? They were one of the main buyers of ads on Twitter. The Russians also had success with Brexit, and the Seperatist in Catalonia, elections in Hungary and Poland. Their efforts were rebuffed by the French and Germans in those elections.

I’m not sure why you flippantly and condescendingly dismiss this stuff.

So the Russians elected Trump and caused Brexit and manufactured the Catalonian vote for independence? That's an impressive threesome. If Trump came in at around 380k, they probably got all three for less than a million! That is efficiency!

[old_gregg]

So the Russians elected Trump and caused Brexit and manufactured the Catalonian vote for independence? That's an impressive threesome. If Trump came in at around 380k, they probably got all three for less than a million! That is efficiency!

super weird series of posts for someone concerned with the puerility of political discourse

[falafel]

The goal posts keep moving. At first it was the Russians didn’t involve themselves in our elections, then it was the didn’t favor a specific side, then on to they were hasn’t coordination with anyone from the campaign, but if they did it had no impact.

You might be right, but just to be clear - I'm not moving goal posts. I think the payments are interesting, but who did they go to? What impact is $30k here and $30k there going to have when the major campaigns are spending billions to move the needle?

[frank ryan]

So the Russians elected Trump and caused Brexit and manufactured the Catalonian vote for independence? That's an impressive threesome. If Trump came in at around 380k, they probably got all three for less than a million! That is efficiency!

Yes that’s exactly what I said verbatim. You’re pretty good at pedantic trolling.

[frank ryan]

You might be right, but just to be clear - I'm not moving goal posts. I think the payments are interesting, but who did they go to? What impact is $30k here and $30k there going to have when the major campaigns are spending billions to move the needle?

That’s a fair point, but that is what piece of their influence campaign and a new detail. Getting Wikileaks to publish material they acted in manner meant to most impact people doesn’t cost much money. We don’t yet know the extent of their investment. The Russians have massive and very capable intelligence agencies. We underestimated them and failed to war game the whole scenario.